i like you a latte
by ogcinnamon
Summary: Keith doesn't like the cute barista that works part-time at the coffee shop across the street. He really doesn't. Coffee shop AU based on a tumblr prompt.
1. Chapter 1

hi everyone! this is my first ever fic for voltron and i haven't written in like ages but i really really wanted to do something. hopefully i'll finish this one before my vacation ends! the prompt i used is "I write a bad pickup line on your cup every time I'm your barista" from cup-of-hot-coffee's job AUs post and it's really old but also really cute so here goes. just a disclaimer though- english is not my first language and constructive criticism would be v appreciated! hope you enjoy!

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"Do you like him? At least a little bit?"

He doesn't. He tells her so.

"C'mon, Keith", Pidge says, leaning over the counter and grinning up at him. "I know you well enough to tell."

He knows she's right: as long as they've known each other, she's always caught on whenever he gets a crush even before he does, so there's no use in lying to her. This time, though, he isn't lying- he did like the cute barista that works part-time at the coffee shop across the street from Shiro and Matt's flower shop, at some point. He's past it, but he's not giving her the satisfaction of telling her that.

"Well, he's really cute," he concedes instead, propping his head on his hand, "but I definitely do not like him."

"Why not?" she asks, and she's still grinning, eyes wide with faux innocence. She knows exactly what there's not to like.

"You know why." Gorgeous as the guy is - _Lance_ , reads his nametag-, he's annoying as fuck. Ever since he started working at Altea Café, where Keith has been a regular for as long as he can remember, he's been writing the worst pickup lines on his cup. Admittedly, they had been initially tolerable: the first time, when he'd found the _if you were a fruit, you'd be a FINEapple_ _;)_ scrawled in blue ink on his cup, Keith had turned around to glare at the new guy, only to find himself blushing when the other man had smiled blindingly and winked at him.

However, they've been getting worse each time, which would be a lot more endearing if Lance didn't seem to have lost interest on actually taking him out: aside from the notes, he only ever talks to Keith to make fun of his hair or his fashion choices. As cute as he is, Keith isn't interested in allowing himself to be lead on, and Pidge knows this perfectly well, which is why he doesn't understand. "Why are you asking me this, anyway?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you'd suddenly changed your mind about him. No big deal." She's smirking now, the little gremlin.

"Don't you have anything to do?" He asks, furrowing his brow and leaning back into his chair. Pidge just rolls her eyes affectionately and opens her mouth to say something, only to audibly shut it when the bell above the door rings.

They both turn toward the sound, ready to greet a customer, but it's just Matt, cupholder in one hand and his own drink on the other.

"Children!" A scowl replaces Pidge's smile, and Keith smirks at her. "Hey, what's up, a shipment of lilies was supposed to come in, like," he stops and glances at his watch, "half an hour ago." He pauses, takes in their now puzzled expressions, and furrows his brow. "I guess it didn't, then."

He sets the coffee on the counter and walks into the back room, telling them over his shoulder to grab theirs before mumbling to himself about delays, and Pidge sips her coffee and doesn't say anything else.

Keith kind of expects her to bring it up again at some point- she must have some reason to ask him about the guy despite knowing what his thoughts are, and he knows she's not one to drop such things so easily.

His predictions are proven right about a week and a half later, by the time he's ready to drop his guard on the topic, when they're both heading to the café on their day off from work and she's unexplainably chipper. They're about a block away from their destination when she _giggles_ , of all things, and he eyes her warily.

"What's it with you?" He asks her.

She shrugs and gives him an unreadable look. "What, I'm not allowed to have especially good days?" Despite her slightly accusing tone, she's still smiling, and Keith rolls his eyes, shakes his head and tentatively mirrors her grin.

"Pidge, you never act like this when you're normal-happy. Seriously, what's going on?" He nudges her with his elbow, but they're already in front of the café's entrance and she just laughs in response and waves her hand in a dismissive gesture, shoving the door open with her shoulder. They walk in and get in the short line, and Keith revels in the fact that he doesn't feel his heart skip a beat anymore at the sight of Lance's dark, smooth skin, his chocolate hair curling around his ears and the nape of his neck, and his bright, smiling blue eyes.

Pidge doesn't say a word while they wait for their turn to order, but she's bouncing in the balls of her feet. He doesn't say anything, either.

When they finally do get to the front of the line, Lance looks him up and down, and Keith regards him with a flat look, prepared for whatever comment he'll make about his leather jacket or his ripped jeans or his messy hair that he's pulled into a low ponytail.

To his surprise, though, the comment doesn't come: when Lance's gaze meets his, the man freezes in place, looking at him with wide eyes. Keith doesn't know how to respond to this new development, but Pidge clears her throat from beside him, startling the barista out of his stupor.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry, I don't know what... Sorry, hi, what can I get you today?" His voice is a little shaky, and his cheeks seem a bit flushed, and his smile is sort of strained, and Keith briefly wonders if he's feeling okay. Pidge doesn't seem to share his concerns.

She smirks at him, and his cheeks darken. "I'll have a large latte and a piece of chocolate cake. What would you like, Keith?"

Keith squints at her, but she doesn't even turn to glance at him, so he looks back at Lance and mutters his order of a large black coffee and a blueberry muffin, feeling overly confused even as they pay for their drinks and snacks, get them, and exit the café.

This time, Lance has written _do you have a map? because i'm getting lost in your eyes_ on the side of his cup, and it's accompanied by a smiley face and feels somehow more genuine than most of the other notes he's found so far. Keith doesn't know what to make of it, or of Pidge's smug silence. He doesn't ask her.

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hope you liked this! i'll update as soon as i can, but in the meantime you can come chat if you wanna on tumblr! i'm og-cinnamon! :)


	2. Chapter 2

hello everyone! i'm awful at updating and have no legitimate excuse but! have this!

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Keith ponders over his interaction with Lance, which he can only describe as odd, longer and harder than he probably should. No matter how much thought he puts into it, he can't figure out the reason for the man's behavior, and after three days of dwelling on the subject he's desperately curious to the point he's willing to drop his nonchalant act around Pidge and ask her. He's just currently having a hard time stopping putting it off.

"You know, this wouldn't be a problem if you actually kept things in their place," he teases her from his seat on their couch while she runs around their living room looking for whatever she needs for her class.

She only huffs in reply from where she's rifling through a pile of papers she must have left in the corner of the living room the night before. After a few seconds, she finds whatever she was looking for, and crams it into her backpack, before tugging it closed and hefting it into a shoulder. Keith figures he won't be as resolved to ask her as he is now, not anytime soon, and decides to go for it.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something..." he trails off, looking resolutely at a nick in the wall behind Pidge's shoulder.

"What is it?" She asks, not unkindly, but she pulls her phone out of her hoodie's pocket and checks the time, her mouth curling into half a grimace. She's probably running late. He might as well do it quickly, then.

"What was up with Lance last time we were at Altea?" She starts narrowing her eyes at him in what he recognizes as faux irritation, pulling her bag higher, but he quickly mirrors her expression. "Don't even try it, I know you knew what was going on."

She holds his gaze for a second, but then she sighs and a lopsided smile starts pulling at the corner of her lips. She shoves her phone back into her pocket and starts walking towards the door. "Aw, Keith..."

She pulls the door open and looks at him over her shoulder. "Just give it some time. It'll make sense soon," she pauses and purses her lips. "hopefully."

She leaves without another word.

* * *

Thankfully, it does start making sense soon enough.

The morning it does, Keith is working his shift at the flower shop. They haven't been particularly busy, but enough customers have been coming in and out that he doesn't pay much attention every time the bell chimes, which is why he's surprised when he finishes ringing up a client only to gaze straight into Lance's pretty blue eyes. His own eyes widen in shock, but before he can say anything, Lance beats him to the punch.

"Hello, beautiful. You know, I was feeling a bit off today, but seeing you here definitely turned me on." He's got this huge grin on his face, and he's leaning over the counter, looking at him from under his lashes, and Keith can't really do anything besides scrunching up his face in bewilderment, still wide-eyed, absentmindedly handing the client the bouquet they purchased. They both stand like that, completely still, for a few seconds before Lance breaks the awkward silence that has settled over them with a deep sigh, straightening his back.

"Ugh, I'm so sorry, that was awful, but I just-" he hesitates, dragging a hand down his face. "Look, I realize this is probably really weird for you, but I... kinda wanted to start over? If that's okay with you?"

Keith stares back at him for a bit, trying to figure out what to make of whatever is happening and how to respond to it, and eventually settles on saying "yeah, sure, I guess" in a rather unenthusiastic tone. Lance seems to take it, though, and beams at him.

"Great! Now that that's out of the way, there's actually another reason why I came here. I, uh, didn't even know you worked here, to be honest," he chuckles quietly, before gesturing behind him to a large guy that's being led around the store by Pidge. "You see, my friend Hunk over there has a date later today and he's kind of nervous. I, being as experienced as I am in the matters of the heart, told him I'd help him, so we decided to get some nice flowers." He turns his body so he's facing Keith completely. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Keith hums, slowly leaning forward to rest his elbows on the counter. "Why don't you just get some roses?" He asks, tilting his head to the side.

"I know, right? That's what I told him! But he says roses are supposed to symbolize eternal love, or something dramatic like that, and he doesn't want to come on too strong," Lance replies enthusiastically, and Keith notices he gestures a lot with his hands while talking. "Are there any other flowers we could use? I don't know anything about symbolism, but you might- I mean, you work at a _flower_ shop!"

Keith chuckles at his rather exaggerated use of body language, and reluctantly stars telling him what he knows in the matter. After a few minutes and a few interruptions from Lance, not only has he completely dropped his reluctance, but he's also learned that Hunk isn't going on a first date, but in a third one, and he's hoping to make things serious. Taking this into consideration, he comes to a conclusion.

"I think some pink carnations would do fine. They're really pretty, and they generally symbolize love," he tells Lance, who's watching him intently. "Either way, Pidge should be able to get him what he needs," he adds, and as if on cue, she walks to the front desk with Hunk in tow.

Sure enough, she's brandishing a few red carnations, and as she places them on the counter, Lance gasps in delight.

"You were right!" He exclaims, eyes wide and bright.

"Of course I was right," Keith answers with a huff, rolling his eyes and smiling softly. He pointedly ignores the way Pidge raises her eyebrows at him.

He doesn't necessarily pretend he doesn't notice Lance's now flushed cheeks, though- he just doesn't mention it (or the tiny surge of concern he feels. Why does his face get red all suddenly like that whenever they talk? He seemed fine until now!), and rings up Hunk's flowers.

He smiles at Lance as he and Hunk exit the store, and as Pidge shoots him a knowing look, he realizes he understands the whole situation now.

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next chapter should be out soon but who knows? not me. come scream with me abt this or anything really at og-cinnamon on tumblr! thanks for reading and have a nice day/night/whatever! :)


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